Artwork is one of the most intimate and impactful elements you can add to a home. Even blank walls can make a statement, where a beautifully plastered wall provides space and calm to a room.
Art has the power to set a mood, complete a color palette, and most importantly—reflect who you are. Yet, many homeowners feel intimidated when it comes to selecting art. Where do you start? What size is right? Does everything need to match?
As an interior decorator, I always remind my clients: art isn’t just decoration—it’s an expression. Here’s how to choose pieces that feel collected and intentionally, rather than randomly or forced.
Start with Emotion, Not Rules
Before thinking about size or placement, ask yourself what you want the space to feel like. Do you have a small powder room where you want the viewer to be in a small space with a beautiful oil painting? Or do you have a large living room wall where you want a painting to span the size and height of much of the wall?
Do you want your living room to feel calm and airy? Look for soft, abstract pieces with fluid movement.
Are you hoping to energize a dining area? Consider bold colors or expressive brushstrokes that stand out in dim lighting.
Want a bedroom that feels like a retreat? Or something that inspires calm or bold wit…
Let the emotion lead the design before you worry about the perfect frame or coordinating color. Frames can be switched out and there are many framing shops where the owners are like curators, playing with different frames to find the right ones that go with what you and your decorator are trying to acheive.
Choose Art That Speaks to You
You don’t need to be an art expert to choose well—you just need to connect with what you bring into your home.
Ask yourself:
Does this piece make me pause?
Would I still love this if trends changed tomorrow?
Does it remind me of a place, memory, or part of my story?
Decorators can guide style and proportion, but only you can decide what feels meaningful.
Mix, Don’t Match
In fact, a curated mix adds character.
Combine photography with abstract paintings and sculpture. Sometimes an hierloom can guide a further collection.
Look at sketches and lithographs.
Consider textile wall hangings for warmth and texture.
Leaning art on shelves, the floor or mantels can give a relaxed feeling. Oversized pieces resting on the floor can also give a gallery feeling of when a piece was first viewed and fallen in love with.
A single dramatic piece at the end of a hallway invites you forward.
A small framed sketch on a bedside table adds quiet charm.
A gallery wall of travel photography turns memories into design.
Art should feel like it has a reason to be exactly where it is.
Final Decorator Tip: Live With It
Sometimes the best way to know if a piece belongs is simply to bring it home. Prop it up, walk by it for a few days, and notice how it makes you feel. Art should grow with you—not just fill a space. Many galleries will allow a piece to be brought home by your designer to “try out” in the space, or a selection even to choose the best out of 3, for example.
If you’d like, I can help you create:
A room-by-room art plan with suggested sizes and arrangements
Gallery wall layout templates
Color palettes inspired by your favorite artwork
Galleries in your area to suggest. Portland, Oregon for example, has art walks in different neighborhoods throughout the year and art galleries downtown are open the 1st Thursday of every month, to showcase new collections, and invite new and existing collectors and artists to meet.
Most importantly, have fun looking. To fall into an art piece is to be inspired emotionally by it’s quality, character and how it makes you feel. For collecting for value, there are pieces that increase in value somewhat predictably, though markets and demand may vary.
Set up a consultation or call to find out what plan of action is right for you.
Happy hunting!
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